Page 77 of Down & Dirty

“No interviews?”

“Other than you and your twenty questions? Nope.”

I relaxed a little, turning to take in his profile as he stared out over the pond. “No show?”

When he looked back at me, not even the darkness that surrounded us could hide the fire in his eyes. He clenched his jaw as he took me in, and I licked my lips, waiting for him to say something.

He bent, touching his nose to mine with a sigh. “No show, no rouse, no farce. Just this.” He leaned back, his eyes still fixed on my mouth, the mere inches between us turning our breath into a fog that rose skyward and disappeared like a secret told only to the night.

“Is that okay?” he asked, watching me expectantly.

I reached up to cup his cheek, feeling the chill on his skin under my fingers. “Yes. More than okay.”

As if my words were a green flag, Cory leaned to kiss me. His lips were soft and gentle, but his arms held me to him like he was afraidto let me go. When I tried to turn in his hold, he grunted, giving me just enough room to spin against him and push up onto my toes to deepen the kiss.

We were all want. Stroking tongues and gasping breaths. His hands ran down my back and when he took my ass and lifted me toward him, I laughed against his lips. He pulled back, his smile matching my own as his eyes danced with desire.

“God dammit, I’ve wanted to do that for a fucking week,” he exhaled, trailing a finger along my jaw. “But it was worth the wait.”

My heart was fluttering so fast I thought it might literally rise up my throat and choke me. “You never said anything?” And he’d obviously held back in the courthouse.

Cory dropped my gaze. “After springing the whole marriage on you, I didn’t want to push my luck.”

“I said yes, remember?”

He opened his mouth, but a yell came through the woods. It wasn’t anything I could understand, but his face fell as he shook his head and glanced quickly at the sky.

“I do remember, gorgeous.” He took my hand and led me back toward the path. “You better believe that’s not the kind of thing a man like me forgets.”

“A man like you?”

He smiled over his shoulder at me. “One who’s never once thought of himself as very lucky, until now.”

“Sorry it’s storebought,” Jacob said, as he placed the pie on the table. “I’m not much of a baker.”

“You weren’t much of a cook, either,” Cory said, tossing his napkin in front of him. “But you did just fine tonight.”

The roast beef and rice he’d made was delicious. He’d even whipped up a homemade dressing for the salad.

“You really did,” I said, enjoying watching the older man sit up straighter from our praise. “I would love the recipe for that salad dressing, if you have it.”

He puffed out his chest, running a hand through his thick beard. “I can find that for you, sure. I’m glad you liked it.”

“So, what inspired you to learn to cook?” Cory asked, humor still in his eyes as if he thought this whole thing was some sort of joke.

“I cooked when you were kids,” Jacob scoffed, grabbing our plates and taking them to the sink. “But you’re right, it wasn’t very good.” He chuckled under his breath, his eyes landing on Cory as he got up to bring over the salad bowl.

“I got this, Pops.”

His dad looked almost as surprised by the offer to help as I’d been that first night I’d cooked for us. But when Jacob sat back down with me, he exhaled and his shoulders dropped like he was finally off duty for the night.

“Back then, I was useless with anything but a grill. But a friend taught me a few things this summer and I’ve been expanding my skills ever since.”

Cory glanced back over his shoulder, his hands covered in soap suds. “What friend?”

Clearly Jacob didn’t appreciate the speculation in Cory’s tone, his brow cutting into a harsh line.

“Don’t you worry about my friends.” He turned back to me with a smile. “You have plenty of your own to keep you company.” Again, he winked at me, and this time I let myself laugh out loud. It was the funniest thing, to see them both do it.

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